Godall to announce candidacy on Monday

This blog has been informed that Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall will announce during a press conference on Monday that he will take part in the elections for president of FC Barcelona. The meeting with the press would be called soon.

[update] Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín has meanwhile confirmed the news through a note on his Facebook page: "This Monday 25 at 7 pm, Alfons Godall, myself and the majority of the board of directors will present the pre-candidacy at the elections of Barça at our headquarters in Barcelona."

Around the same time, Alfons Godall has put a similar message on his own Facebook page.

Read more:
Godall waiting for poll to announce candidacy
No deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiations
Laporta gives us hope for one board candidacy

A first look at the project of Ferrer

During the past week, Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer talked about the upcoming elections and his own run for the presidency in interviews with Catalan radio stations Ona FM and RAC 1. Some excerpts.


His club model
The current model should stay in place but should be renewed. This should happen by allowing the professionals to work while the board stays more in the background. The board of directors should take the decisions but that should happen in a discreet way.

In the economic and sporting areas, we should basically continue with the project we have now. In the social area on the other hand, there's a lot of work to do. The members should feel the club is theirs.

Sports director
The model of having a sports director and a coach has worked well over the past years and I think it's the best model for FC Barcelona at this moment and that it should be continued. Giving the coach more powers isn't and has never been the model of FC Barcelona.

I would be very happy if Txiki Begiristain could continue since he has been a key figure. And if he doesn't, it should be someone with the same profile. I don't think it's right to talk already about possible successors, also because the first thing I will do is trying to convince Txiki to stay.

Role of the sports vice-president
The board of directors should be very discreet at this moment. The focus should be on the players and the coaches, who are the ones who play and win the games. The director who's responsible for the first team should therefore play a role of go-between between the board and the professionals in the sports area.

Possible collaboration with Sandro Rosell
I know very little of the project of Sandro Rosell because he didn't yet explain anything, so I don't know if we share certain points. What I do know is that we have been board colleagues during a certain time. We had a good relationship and if he'll present his program, we'll see.

But it's clear to me what my program will be and now that we have come this far, we want to go on until the end and not make deals with anyone. I sure don't have bad feelings towards him about what happened in the past. I think one should be able to forget.

I think it's good he's a candidate in the elections, I will also be one and others will too. He's leading in the polls now, but the only valid polls are on the day of the elections. I think it's good that the club members will have a choice and will be able to say which candidate convinces them the most.

Franquesa
I've always had, and still have, a very good relationship with him and the doors will always be open for him.

Transfer rumours during the campaign
I think all the presidential candidates should try not to talk about football players. It would be wrong to do that. Of couse the club cannot stop and the next season should be prepared and I guess Pep Guardiola and the staff will want to sign some player or change something about the squad. But it's the current sports director who should work on that.

Chat session on Twitter
We'll look at that option. I've also opened a Twitter account but I haven't yet thought about a chat like Rosell has done. We'll see how things went for him and maybe we'll also consider doing it.

Soriano
I would like him to take part in the elections, with an own project. it would be good to confront our ideas, although I don't veto him.

Camp Nou
The stadium needs to be remodelled, but we first should solve our problems with the city council. It's also clear to me that this remodelling should focus on what the club really needs. Therefore we might have to reconsider the Foster project.

Read more:
Ferrer thinks one board candidacy is unlikely
Former vice-president Franquesa to join Ferrer
No deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiations

Guixa wants three sports directors

Asked if he will bring with him another sports director if he's elected president, Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà has said in an interview with Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio that he won't count on current Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain:

"I have already publicly said that I respect the whole technical staff of Pep and that I won't continue with Txiki. Txiki has to leave together with Laporta. I don't want someone who follows the results of the games by teletext [television information retrieval service], who can't sign players, who isn't up for the job.

We need an alternative and that's very clear to me. I liked him a lot as player, but not as sports director. Do I have a candidate? Yes, but since the elections haven't been called yet, I cannot give you any names.

And it won't be one person, we will organize things in such a way that we will have three sports directors. Because the structure of the club has to develop further, and one of our focuses will be the youth academy."

Read more:
Son "Great Captain" Segarra in board team Guixa
Godall wants Txiki Begiristian to continue
Guixa won't make transfer promises

Bassat rejects offers to take part in elections

Speaking at an event organized by Spanish sports weekly paper Don Balón, Catalan business man Lluís Bassat has said that he will not take part in this year's elections for president of FC Barcelona:

"I have received offers to join several candidacies, but I have rejected all of them. But when the time of voting will have arrived and I will know who I will vote for, I will make my choice public."

Advertising agent Lluís Bassat (68) was the runner-up in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2003, being defeated by first Joan Gaspart (55% vs 43%) and then Joan Laporta (53% vs 32%).

Read more:
Bassat will not run a third time
Media mogul rejects election involvement
Bassat: "Laporta invented Beckham transfer"

Poll result: Best Barcelona president ever?

Who do you think has been the best president in the history of Barça?

Josep Lluís Núñez 45,6%
Joan Laporta 25%
Joan Gamper 11,2%
Agustí Montal 3,8%
Francesc Miró-Sans 3%
Montal Galobart 2,4%
Others 1%
Don't know/Don't answer 8%

total votes: 1000
date poll: 11 to 14 enero 2010
poll method: telephone inteviews with club members who have the right to vote, 95% certainty
source: diari gol

check more election poll results here

Laporta gives up hope for one board candidacy

Asked about the upcoming elections, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has suggested to journalists today that it looks like there won't be one united board candidacy:

"Every candidate should feel comfortable with his own project and in my opinion the question if there will be a single candidacy in the elections isn't that relevant anymore.

The model that has allowed us to be the best club in the world will be clearly presented by one candidate. Besides that there will be a more eclectic candidacy and others wthat will present an alternative model, and it will be interesting to take a look at them."

Read more:
No deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiations
Ferrer thinks one board candidacy is unlikely
Laporta calls on Ferrer and Godall to join forces

Should the executives continue after the elections?

Asked about the continuation of Barcelona chief executive Joan Oliver (picture, on the left) after the elections later this year, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said at a press conference that he thinks the management structure of the club deserves to stay in place after his exit:

"I think that the executives, starting with the director general, have done an excellent job, and even more so in these times of a profound economic crisis. Those people have contracts and in my opinion they should continue and it wouldn be imprudent to replace them. We'll see who will win the elections and what they will decide."

Read more:
Chief executive obstacle for one board candidacy
Barcagate
Cartoon: Oliver denies spying claims

Former vice-president Franquesa to join Ferrer

Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio claims that former Barcelona vice-president Joan Franquesa will be part of the candidacy of current Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer in the presidential elections later this year.

Catalan business man Joan Franquesa, who resigned as board member in November of last year (read more here), joined Barcelona's board of directors in July of 2005 and was promoted to assets vice-president in July of 2008.

Read more:

The resignation letter of vice-president Franquesa

Barcagate

Franquesa has no plans to take part in elections

Guixa won't make transfer promises

Asked if he will promise during the elections campaign that he will sign players, Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume Guixà has said in an interview with Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio that he doesn't plan to announce transfers in the coming weeks and months:

"I will sign the players the coach asks for. It's very easy to name this or that player. The bottom line is that every player wants to join Barcelona. I don't want to wave with faxes saying I will bring this one. I don't want to lie to the club member, I want seriousness, transparency and the approval of the coach."

Read more:
Guixa: "The club is almost bankrupt"
More about Guixa
Son "Great Captain" Segarra in board team Guixa

The Pundit: Alex Santos on signatures Ferrer

« The most favourable scenario for the pro-Godall camp in the board is that their colleagues who support Ferrer wouldn't be able to collect the signatures that are needed to form a candidacy. »

Alex Santos,
blog

check more pundit talk

Laporta denies electoral motives behind renewal Guardiola

Asked if the agreement on the continuation of Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola had been influenced by the election process, Barcelona president has said at yesterday's press conference that he just acted as president of the club:

"The electoral process has nothing to do with all this. We had a responsibility, the club needed to have certainty about who would be the coach next season.

This deal allows us to stay very calm and if I would put myself in the shoes of the possible candidates, I think they will have the peace of mind of knowing who will be the coach and only having to worry about setting the conditions and the duration of his contract."

Read more:
Guardiola will sign renewal after elections
Godall: "Laporta is like a brother to me"
Former brother-in-law Laporta reappearing on stage

Brother Rosell member of his campaign team

This blog can report that Sergi Rosell, the brother of Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell, is part of the campaign team of his brother.

Sergi Rosell (picture, on the right, together with his brother during yesterday's Twitter chat session) is the co-ordinator of the online team of the former sports vice-president and is also a member of the candidate's commission that deals with the social area.

Sergi Rosell Feliu is the general director of Catalan marketing agency Blawcel that works for major brands as Nike and Danone and has done campaigns for products like Nutella and Chupa Chups. Sergi Rosell is 39 years old and 6 years his brother's junior.

Read more:
Rosell gives first interview ahead of elections
Team member Rosell talking about their project
Rosell and Ferrer want fitness entrepreneur

Cartoon 23: Two board candidates complicate tricks

Laporta:
I warn you that with two heirs coming from the same board...

...the electoral pirouette will get more complicated.


(click the cartoon to enlarge)


by caye

source:
sport

check more election cartoons here

The Quote: Xavier Sala i Martín

"The elections won't be held before June. Although it's not me who decides that and maybe I'm strategically misleading you."


Xavier Sala i Martín,
Barcelona treasurer

read more election quotes here

Live Coverage: Twitter chat session Sandro Rosell

At 9 pm Barcelona time, a one-hour Twitter chat session with Sandro Rosell will start. This blog will try to cover the session live by translating the answers published at Rosell's twitter account.

Re-fresh...


8:55

* Sandro Rosell ready for the chat. At the right of the picture you see Rosell's brother Sergi, at the left internet entrepreneur Didac Lee. *

9:00

Good evening, I'm here with the friends of my 2.0 Council to start the chat with all of you.

There will be things you will ask me that I won't reply now since we're not yet campaigning. We'll have time to talk about that later on.

9:05

Foster, the sports area, the economic area, the social area, everything that has to do with the future of our club we of course want to maintain or improve!

Will you count on Guardiola?
What is functioning well won't be touched, I will do my best to improve the other things.

What has been your reaction when you heard about the renewal of Pep Guardiola?
It's very good news. Thanks Pep.

Will you keep Guardiola?
Great idea, if you allow me and there are no copyright problems, I will include it in my election program.

Sandro Rosell is a Mac user!!!
I have bought my first Mac in 1983 and it was a Plus, who worked on floppy discs without hardware.

9:15

You created the media phenomenon Brazil.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the media phenomenon Brazil was created by the beaches, the caipirinhas, the carnaval and the football, not by me...

After the interview published today by Expansión: can Barça be presided part-time?
Expansión asked if it "was possible", which doesn't mean I would do it. I will dedicate the time that is needed.

I'm replying as fast as I can...

You already have your board team?
We almost have the people in place.

About the access to the stadium, when will they take into account the tall people?
The stadium should be accessible for everyone.

9:25

Hello from Poland (yes, we have socis here;))! How are you going to improve situation of cules and socios who live abroad?
New Technologies, like Twitter and Web 2.0 Platforms will help to be closer, but we want you in Camp Nou...

Will you continue with Unicef on the Barça shirt (we hope so), also when an attractive economic offer comes in?
FCB is a club of solidary people and money isn't everything in life.

What will you do so the culés from outside Catalonia no longer feel distanced like is happening now with Laporta?
ALL club members of Barça are club members of Barça

9:30

as your campaign for president is very web 2.0, can supporters expect a 2.0 BarÇa?
yes, of course, FCB has to be first in the world in everything, and technology is not an exception

would you accept to hold a television debate with the other presidential candidates?
yes, i think it's a good way to discuss the different election programs

laporta has acted in a catalanist way, something the club had lost along the way, do you want to continue that line?
Barça is a Catalan club, reaching out to all social classes and politically plural

which other sports do you like? will you and see the other sports teams of barça
i like all sports excpt cricket, so i will go and watch them all

what do you think about youth teams that have 30-40-50% foreign players
great question! i think until the age of 14 it's a bad thing. from 14 years on, it has to be analyzed more profoundly

how do you see the relations with espanyol?
barça has always been a gentleman's club and that has to be continued, we have to respect everyone

i have lived in brazil and they respect you a lot there. what do you remember from your time at nike there?
the people. i've learnt a lot and i've made friends forever. long live brazil!

you didn't want to sign eto'o not to harrass florentino. is that true? why don't you reply delicate questions?
it's not true. i did the first phone call with eto'o. i won't discuss election issues until the elections.

if you didn't yet present your campaign, why are you already campaigning on twitter?
i'm not campaigning, i'm talking with twitter friends. when i will campaign, we won't have enough mbytes

do you arrive on time when the second halfs start?
i always try to arrive on time, at all my appointments, and if they are as important as a barça game, even more

you remember the first barça game you went to?
i know i started going when i was 5 years old, but the first game i remember was when i was 9 years old, against granada

i think that a youth section in the stadium to cheer the team without stopping would be great
as a club member, i would be delighted if the liverpool fans would envy us

you also think that the presidential term of office should be a maximum of two terms?
i absolutely think so!

9:50

to a lot of people: the club structures depend on the talent of the people who fill the positions

what's the main quality of laporta?
that he's a culé

do you keep on training sandro? what's your marathon record?
yes, i keep on training, now i'm doing 10 km. the best time i set in london six years ago, 3:42h

10:00

it's 10pm. the interview ends?
ten more minutes, no?

when do you plan to present your candidacy?
the first day after the election are called

will we continue without women in the board of directors? what's your policy regarding this issue?
yes, but not because of quotas but based on personal and professional value

are you having bodyguards now?
no, no i don't have bodyguards, although i have been spied upon by detectives and that's very sad...

let's have the last one

several people have asked this: my club member's number is 12.556

thanks a lot to everyone for the time we spent together. and what do you think... the next one on facebook?

i will do an effort to reply to some more questions. today has been a great experience. thanks!


that's it, blog readers. hope some of you learned something...

Guardiola will sign renewal after elections

Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said that Barcelona manager Joseph Guardiola, whose current two-year contract expires later this year, will continue at the club next season:

"We are here to announce that Josep Guardiola will be the coach of Barça's first team next season. We had a meeting yesterday and Pep informed me about his wish to continue at least one more year. The new contract will be signed with the new president but Pep gave his word that he will stay. The next president and Guardiola will agree on the terms and the conditions of the contract."

Guardiola said at the meeting with the press that, given the circumstances, this was the best decision he could made: "I think it's a very good thing that the new president knows how I see this and that he lets me know how he sees it. The new president now already knows he has a coach and with him, I will negotiate the new contract.

If there wouldn't be 'feeling' we will analyze things but I don't see why that should be the case. If he doesn't want me, there won't be any financial compensation. I get paid to work, not for not working. We'll talk about the duration later, it could be more than one year, but I anyhow think the coach of Barcelona has to renew for short periods."

Read more:
New president should ratify renewal Guardiola
Lillo would have been coach under Bassat
Guardiola will push candidates to sign Cesc

Rosell gives first interview ahead of elections

Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell gave his first interviews in years. It is published today by Spanish business paper Expansíon. Some excerpts.


1.
Why does a person with so many activities want to be the president of Barça?, he is often asked.

"My father, who was the general director of Barça during the term of Agustí Montal [1969-1977], infected me with the love for football and Barça since childhood," he explains. "I want to be the Barça president because of Barça, not to have more relations or more power," he assures. "I already have the contacts I could get by being the president of Barça."

2.
His family has tried to convince him not to take part in the elections because of the "media pressure" that comes with the post. Although he knows that the campaign "will be very tough", he hopes his life won't change. Rosell, who recalls with particular concern that Barça "put detectives at his home for two months" during the 2008 vote of no confidence against Laporta, doesn't want to discuss his relationship with the current president.

3.
Rosell's passion for marketing and sports led him to found BSM, which takes fifty per cent of his time. The firm, specialized in advising on sports sponsorship, strategic sports marketing consulting and event management, has a turnover of six million euros. Among his clients, there's the Government of Qatar, for whom he has developed the Football Dreams project. "If I become the president of Barça, I will sell BSM", announces Rosell.

4.
An earlier football project opened the doors of Nike for Rosell. "They made me a job offer that included a very specific task: to make a deal with Barcelona or Real Madrid," he says. After negotiating personally with Josep Lluís Núñez (of whom he recalls that he was "very hard and honest"), Rosell signed what "at that time was the best contract in Spain: ten million euros for ten years." Shortly after, Real Madrid got more from Adidas.

5.
He refuses to talk about his personal life but he rebels when he is called 'a rich kid'. "My best friend is Andreu and he has fifty cows in La Seu d'Urgell [a small town in the Catalan Pyrenees]",he replies.

6.
"Florentino Pérez appears that much in public? Josep Lluís Nuñez did?" Sandro Rosell avoids pronouncing the name of Joan Laporta, but it's clear that he is comparing these two models with that of the current president of Barça, who appears a lot in the media.

7.
Rosell did the tests to join the club at the age of six, but he ended up playing with a fans' club. "I was a footballer, but a bad one. I managed to play in the third division, at L'Hospitalet, as a left winger", he says.

8.
Rosell is very discreet about the club model he has in mind. But he reveals he wants a presidency with less visibility, part-time and with a strong man beside him as chief executive. Rosell says that he already knows the person who could fill that position, although he doesn't yet want to disclose the name. In his head, he already has the whole organization of the club and also the plan for Barça to reach a turn-over of 1.000 million euros in the future, when the crisis abates.

Read more:
The Rosell Project
Role Masfurroll in Rosell candidacy unclear
Team member Rosell talking about their project

Benedito signs ex-campaign director Laporta

Barcelona presidential candidate Agustí Benedito has announced on Facebook that he has signed on Tuesday morning a deal with Catalan consultancy agency Xavier Roig i Associats to take charge of his campaign ahead of the elections for president of FC Barcelona.

Spanish news agency EFE reports that Xavier Roig (picture) was the campaign director of current Barcelona president Joan Laporta during the 2003 elections and that his agency also assisted Laporta in the vote of no confidence in July 2008. Natalia Rodríguez, one of Roig's collaborators, will lead the day-to-day campaign of Benedito.

Read more:
Benedito: "The outcome is very unpredictable"
Rosell favourite for the gamblers
More about Benedito

The Quote: Sandro Rosell

"I feel a little spied upon."


Sandro Rosell,
Barcelona presidential candidate

read more election quotes here

Luis Enrique wants to continue after the elections

Asked about his future at Barcelona now that his contract expires at the end of the current season, Barcelona Atlètic coach Luis Enrique has said in an interview with the club's official media that he would prefer to renew his contract:

"I would like to stay here, I would like to continue at Barça Atlètic. Yes, definitely. But we can expect that the club will have a spring and a summer with a lot of the movements. There will be a change in the presidency and we'll see what happens.

I signed for two years and I am delighted to have signed them. I'm about to come to the end of that but I'm not worried at all. When the season will have ended, we'll see how far we've come and what we have achieved. The challenge has been attractive enough to forget about any possible personal matters.

If after that, I would have the opportunity to continue coaching here, that would be wonderful. If it's not here, I can do it elsewhere, that would also be a good solution. If I don't have offers, that would also be fine and I could take a holiday. So it's something that doesn't bother me at all. Now, if you ask me: 'What would you like to do?' Well, I would like to continue."

Read more:
New president should ratify renewal Guardiola
Godall wants Txiki Begiristian to continue
Xavi and Puyol on the elections

Former brother-in-law Laporta reappearing on stage

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín has tried to convince former Barcelona director Alejandro Echevarría to join the candidacy he will be part of in the upcoming presidential elections.

Sala i Martín and Echevarría, the brother of Barcelona president Joan Laporta's ex-spouse Constanza Echevarría, are reported to have met at the Luz de Gas night club in Barcelona but after the talks a deal wouldn't seem likely.

Two Catalan sports journalists, 'Diego Valor' and Alex Santos, meanwhile claim on their respective blogs that Echevarría is in the background supporting the candidacy of Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer.

Alejandro Echevarría, at that time still the brother-in-law of Laporta, joined the Barcelona board in February 2004. On 20 October 2005, he left the club after accusations that he was a member of a foundation dedicated to the life and works of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (read more here).

Read more:
The Board Movements (2003-2009)
No deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiations

Poll result: Are there too many candidates?

Is it a good thing that there are a lot of pre-candidates in the presidential elections?

Yes 53%
No 47%

total votes: 3473
start date poll: 16 january 2010
poll method: internet, free participation
source: sport

Ferrer thinks one board candidacy is unlikely

Asked about the upcoming elections, Barcelona assets vice-president Jaume Ferrer has repeated in an interview with Catalan radio station Ona FM that it's unlikely there will be one single board candidacy and that he will surely be a candidate in the elections:

"There will probably be two candidacies. It's very difficult to reach an agreement with the other group, because we already have our project and we want to take part in the elections. If others want to join us, we're open to that but we think that our project is a good one."

Read more:
No deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiations
Treasurer Sala invites Ferrer to join Godall group
Rosell and Ferrer want fitness entrepreneur

When will the next president take office?

Although the presidential elections will be held between 15 March and 15 June of this year, the club's statutes regulate that the new president will in any case only take office on 1 July, with the first and the fifth paragraph of article 50 of the statutes, entitled 'Taking office and communications' stating:

"If the election process has been the consequence of the natural termination of the term in office of the previous Board of Directors, the newly elected Board must take office on the date of July 1 after the elections and the members remaining from the previous Board will immediately vacate their positions. [...]

The new Board will take office at an extraordinary session of the Board of Directors, which will be attended by the outgoing Board [...] and the newly elected Board, and which may also be attended in the capacity of witnesses, by representatives of Governments, Administrations, Federations or Associations."

Read more:
Who is eligible as president?
What are the functions of the president?
Who can vote in the elections?

Former coach Rexach will not run for president

Catalan online sports paper Yoya claims that former Barcelona player and manager Carles "Charly" Rexach will not run for president in the upcoming elections later this year.

It was rumoured that a group of club members had offered Rexach to be the "face" of their candidacy (read more here), but Jordi Medina, who was a presidential pre-candidate in 2003 and 2006 and is now one of the people behind the group (together with former candidates Josep Maria Minguella and Jordi Majó, and surgeon Miquell Llobet), would have denied that Rexach will join their project.

Sources close to the above-mentioned group meanwhile confirmed to this blog that Rexach was in the beginning a possible candidate for them, but that they are at this moment looking for another person to lead the project. Rexach could nevertheless still be part of the candidacy.

Read more:
Ex-coach Rexach considers running for president
Medina will again take part in the elections
Minguella and Medina behind Rexach candidacy

The Quote: Joan Laporta

"I don't regret anything because I haven't done anything with bad intentions. Although it's true that I try to learn from my mistakes and to correct them. One learns the most in the most difficult times."


Joan Laporta,
Barcelona president

read more election quotes here

Lillo would have been coach under Bassat

Speaking to Spanish newspaper Público, Almería manager Juan Manuel Lillo (picture, on the left) confirmed that he would have become the new manager of Barcelona if Lluís Bassat would have won the presidential elections in 2003.


You would have been the coach of Barça with Guardiola acting as sports director and Lluís Bassat as president. Your name was nevertheless kept hidden. Why was that?
For reasons of consistency, because the message that was trasmitted by both the candidate and Pep himself was based on not giving any names. We felt bad about others doing that, and we wanted people to accept the candidacy of Lluís Bassat because of the ideas and because of who was going to be strategically leading the club, not through putting out names. Over time they accused us of being naive, but it was an act of consistency.

Back then you were in Italy for a few weeks to prepare the candidacy with Pep. He was then already thinking about becoming a coach or not yet?
He then still didn't have the coaching degree and he was still a player, but his love for Barça and how he wanted his Barça to be was already clear to him. At that time he looked at it from a management point of view with a coach who could transmit his ideas. What we then discussed could come close to what Barça is now. Pep lived with intensity what Bassat proposed him, he liked it, but without thinking further than that.

Read more:
Bassat: "Laporta invented Beckham transfer"
Could Guardiola be a future president?
Bassat will not run a third time

Godall waiting for poll to announce candidacy

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona vice-president Alfons Godall will announce before the end of the month of January during a press conference that he will take part in the elections for president of FC Barcelona later this year.

Sources close to the vice-president would have told the paper that Godall is waiting for the results of a poll that has been carried out to make his candidacy public. If Godall in the end would decide not to run, Barcelona treasurer Xavier Sala i Martín would be ready to take his place.

Madrid sports paper As claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta prefers Sala i Martín over Godall, but that a candidacy lead by the first would most probably mean that bank guarantees should be put down because Sala i Martín only joined the board of directors last year.

Read more:
No deal after new Godall-Ferrer negotiations
Poll result: Who should be the board candidate?
Treasurer Sala invites Ferrer to join Godall group

Most read of the week

these were the three most read blog posts of the past week:


1.
Laporta calls on Ferrer and Godall to join forces

2.
Minguella and Medina behind Rexach candidacy

3.
Medina will again take part in the elections

Rosell organizes chat session on Twitter

Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell has announced that he will hold a chat session at microblogging service Twitter on Wednesday 20 January from 9 to 10 pm.

Rosell's "2.0 Council", that is organizing his online activities, explains on their Facebook page that people can ask the former sports vice-president everything they want to know about his project. The answers will be published at Rosell's Twitter account that was launched earlier this month.

Read more:
Team member Rosell talking about their project
Guixa meets with Barcelona fans
Rosell and Ferrer want fitness entrepreneur

The Pundit: Jordi Maluquer on profile presidents

« If we take a look at the recent history of the club, it has not given very good results when a businessman has taken the reins of the club, be it a textile manufacturer, a real estate developer or a hotel owner. A businessman always wants to lead or to stick his nose in all areas. »

Jordi Maluquer,
El 9 Esportiu

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Role Masfurroll in Rosell candidacy unclear

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Gabriel Masfurroll will support Barcelona presidential candidate Sandro Rosell during the coming elections (read more here).

The former Barcelona vice-president is said to get possibly involved in the club's foundation if Rosell would be elected president. Spanish television channel Intereconomía nevertheless claims that Masfurroll certainly won't become the president of the foundation.

Gabriel Masfurroll is the chairman and managing director of USP Hospitals, a network of private hospitals in Spain, southern Europe and Morocco. He is a former Barcelona board member under Josep Lluís Núñez and was a presidential candidate in 2000. He was vice-president under Joan Gaspart until he resigned in December 2002.

Read more:
Masfurroll cautious about election involvement
The Rosell Project - Part 4: The Board (2)
Former vice-president hints at Rosell partnership